Swinging for the fences! West Valley Little League aims to get Idaho's first Little League World Series title

EAGLE, Idaho — West Valley’s Major League Softball and 12U Baseball teams are on a mission to bring Idaho its first-ever Little League World Series Title.

• West Valley’s Major League Softball team won state on July 13th.
• West Valley 12U Baseball team won state on July 20th.
• Softball is halfway through regionals with their next game on July 24th at 1 PM MT.
• The baseball team’s first game of the tournament is not until August 3rd.
• If either team wins the tournament they will head to the Little League World Series.
• Idaho has never won a Little League World Series.
• To donate to the Baseball team’s travel fund, click here.
• Follow West Valley Little League on Facebook for more updates on both teams.

(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)

The Boise Hawks are not the only team defending the diamond in the Treasure Valley. I met up with the coaches of the 12U West Valley Major League Softball team and the 12U West Valley Baseball team as they head in and prepare for the biggest games of their season.

Little League baseball and softball in the Treasure Valley have been making headlines lately due to their immense success. For example, both West Valley’s 10U Baseball and Minor League Softball won their respective state championships. But, it doesn’t stop there.

The West Valley Softball Major League team won state and is halfway through the regionals tournament in California.

“It’s a different state. We’re in a stadium and there are some fans there. There are nice ESPN cameras and there are microphones everywhere. It’s a new environment,” explained Coach Kris Lloyd.

This regionals appearance comes a year after the softball team was disqualified for having a player too young to compete.

Lloyd continued, “We kind of say it’s for the doubters. That we can prove to ourselves that we can represent Idaho accordingly. All of our errors or trials and losses, we learn from. Those don’t define us but we get better because of them.”

Lloyd explained, that if the team wins regionals they will compete in the Little League Softball World Series; A title the state of Idaho has yet to win in softball or baseball.

“If we can stay focused on the game of softball and say we hit the ball, we catch the ball, we throw the ball, and we do it a little better than someone else, I like our chances,” finished Lloyd.

But the girls are not the only Treasure Valley club seeking their first national title.

The West Valley 12U Baseball team won state toppling Post Falls on July 20th, punching their ticket to regionals as well.

“Some of the kids on our team have been practicing for this for five years. So we’ve been working for this for quite a while,” said shortstop Owen Westley.

Right fielder Parker Tamura added, “We’ve all gotten better over the years. It might be a little nerve-wracking, but I’m excited.”

Like many of the players, Coach Pat Hartnett is confident in the squad’s abilities to play ball at the new level.

“This team has played some good teams this summer and we’ve taken down some good teams this summer. So we fully expect to be competitive in this tournament. If we can do that, our happy path is we win three games and we move on to Williams Port,” smiled Hartnett.

“Let’s show them what Idaho is all about baby,” exclaimed Tamura.

The baseball team’s first game of the tournament will be on August 3rd. Now for the girls, their next game is against Montana on Wednesday, July 24th and you can see that on ESPN+.